Even Lane Kiffin got some love in UF's post-game party, though he ultimately disappointed the Gators. (AP photo)

Finally, the Gators can exhale. The regular season ended tonight with a 37-26 win at Florida State, and Florida has more than a month until its bowl game.
At this point, UF appears bound for the Sugar Bowl. The national championship likely will be Notre Dame vs. Alabama/Georgia, but the Gators should end up in the top four of the BCS standings and land in the Sugar Bowl vs. an at-large qualifier.

Anyway, the win over FSU put the Gators at 11-1. They went 7-6 last year, claiming bowl eligibility only with a November win over Furman.

They also ended a two-year losing streak against the Seminoles. Here’s a sample of what they said after the game:

Coach Will Muschamp on whether this was a sexy win:

“I think it was a really sexy win. I was gonna come in here with my shirt off. , but my wife and the players did not want me to do that. Our résumé speaks for itself, come on. You’ve seen where we’ve played and the quality of football teams we’ve beaten. We’ll play anyone anywhere.”

DE Dominique Easley, while holding a giant barrel of animal crackers, on snapping FSU’s two-year win streak over UF:

“It was a personal game for us. They had to feel the same pain that we felt. They had to feel the same black hole in their heart that we felt. So, we just had to give them what we felt, which was pain.”

Muschamp on rooting for Southern California to upset Notre Dame

“Pulling for Fight On. What are they, Fight On or something like that? And I’ve always been a real big Lane Kiffin fan.”

QB Jeff Driskel on whether UF should play for a national title:

“We fared fairly well against everybody we’ve played this year and we’ve played some of the best. Hopefully we can sneak in, because nobody wants to see us right now.”

Muschamp on oddsmakers putting FSU as a 7-point favorite:

“We were underdogs? I can’t believe we’re fourth in the country and we’re an underdog. What are you guys thinking?”

Driskel on watching FSU fans leave early:

“When we go on the road, our goal is to empty the stadium. That’s what we did.”

Muschamp on the fourth-quarter comeback:

“Very proud of how we played the game, the mental toughness that we played with. When I first came to Florida, that was a little bit of a question mark. That football team showed you’re their resolve and their fight and their oneness and their togetherness.”

Easley on whether UF deserves to play for the national title:

“We think we deserve a lot, but only God has that control.”

Easley on DT Sharrif Floyd:

“Me and Sharrif’s relationship is like no other. When we die, we still going to be together. I will never let Sharrif go. I will never lose contact with Reef. That’s my boy. That’s my brother. That’s my blood.”

Muschamp on RB Mike Gillislee rushing for 1,000 yards this season:

“That’s outstanding. First 1,000-yard back since 2003 at the University of Florida? Whoa. I didn’t realize that until about a week ago, but it speaks to where we’re headed with our offense. It’s more of a pro-style offense you see on Sunday.”

CB Marcus Roberson on whether UF is still ‘soft':

“You can answer that. We stayed tough and fought through everything that was thrown at us during the game.”

Driskel on playing through a sprained right ankle:

“In a game like this, the ankle injury can’t be an issue. You have to play through that. Everybody’s playing through injuries. The staff did a great job getting me healthy. A little ankle sprain isn’t gonna keep me out of a game like this.”

Muschamp on Florida being far from ‘back':
“Everybody wants to talk about how we’ve arrived and we’re back– hell, we haven’t won a championship. Until you win a championship, I have a hard time saying we’ve arrived and we’re back at all. That’s my opinion. Everything at the University of Florida is about championships.”